November 1, 2019 8:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – More Americans approve of the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump than disapprove of it. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But there are warning signs for both parties. Many think the inquiry is motivated mainly by politics. And only about a third say the inquiry should be a top priority for Congress. The poll comes as the impeachment investigation is entering a new, public phase as the Democratic-led House investigates the Republican president’s dealings with Ukraine and whether he abused his office or compromised national security when he tried to pressure the country to dig up dirt on a political rival. Trump has denied doing anything wrong.
November 1, 2019 4:15 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago police say they believe a gang member was the intended target in a shooting that left a 7-year-old girl who was trick-or-treating critically injured. Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says police believe it was a gang-related shooting and that the man who was the target was a 30-year-old shot in the hand. Guglielmi says the girl, who was wearing a bumblebee costume, was walking on the other side of the street when she was struck by the gunfire. Authorities have said she was shot in the lower neck area. Guglielmi says she is now listed in critical but stable condition at a hospital. The shooting occurred early Halloween evening in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. Guglielmi says investigators are following up on leads that poured in from the public in the hours after the gunfire. He says they believe surveillance video retrieved from the area shows either people involved in the shooting or people who know those who were involved.
November 1, 2019 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Emmy-winning “Pose” actor Billy Porter, Latin singer Ozuna and Grammy-winning performers Black Eyed Peas, TLC, Chicago and Kelly Rowland will be among the stars celebrating at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Macy’s said Friday that Ciara, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, Debbie Gibson, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin and former NASA astronauts Kay Hire and Janet Kavandi also will participate in the 93rd annual parade on Nov. 28. The special will air at 9 a.m. EST on NBC’s “Today” show. Others part of the lineup include the cast and Muppets of “Sesame Street,” That Girl Lay Lay, Natasha Bedingfield, Chris Young, NCT 127, Chris Janson and Josh Dela Cruz.
November 1, 2019 4:12 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California weather conditions that led to power shutoffs to prevent wildfires and fanned fires that broke out around the state have eased significantly. Southern California Edison says only 1,100 customers remained without power early Friday, down from 80,000 the previous evening. San Diego Gas & Electric says power was restored Thursday to more than 25,000 customers and its community resource centers have been demobilized. Pacific Gas & Electric has finished restoring power to dozens of counties in the north and central regions. Cal Fire says containment of the state’s largest fire has increased to 67 percent. Latest assessments show the 121-square-mile (313-square-kilometer) fire in Sonoma County has burned 167 homes and 175 other structures. Another 33 homes are damaged.
November 1, 2019 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats have swept a rules package for their impeachment probe of President Donald Trump through a divided House, as the chamber’s first vote on the investigation highlighted the partisan breach the issue has only deepened. By 232-196, lawmakers have approved the procedures they’ll follow as weeks of closed-door interviews with witnesses evolve into public committee hearings and – almost certainly – votes on whether the House should recommend Trump’s removal. All voting Republicans opposed the package. Every voting Democrat but two supported it. Trump tweeted, “Now is the time for Republicans to stand together and defend the leader of their party against these smears.”
November 1, 2019 4:08 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A judge in Pittsburgh says she’s not ready to set a trial date for the man charged with killing 11 people inside a synagogue. U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose on Thursday says she won’t schedule Robert Bowers’ trial until pretrial motions over the death penalty and other issues are resolved. The judge is giving defense lawyers until mid-December to file motions challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty sought by prosecutors. Federal prosecutors had asked for a fall 2020 trial to spare survivors and the families of those killed long delays.
But the defense is concerned the date would overlap with the Jewish holidays or a divisive presidential election. The October 27, 2018, shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue is considered the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
November 1, 2019 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania is making the most significant changes to its election laws in 80 years and helping counties buy new voting machines ahead of next year’s presidential election. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Thursday, two days after it passed the Republican-controlled Legislature handily. The legislation was negotiated privately by Wolf and top Republicans. Wolf says it’s taking the nation’s least voter-friendly election laws and putting them in line with states that have the highest voter turnout. It lets any voter mail in a ballot, moves voter-registration deadlines closer to elections and extends the deadline to return absentee ballots. It also authorizes $90 million in borrowing for voting machines that Wolf insisted on to bolster election security. Meanwhile, it eliminates the ballot option for straight party-ticket voting, a top priority of Republicans.
November 1, 2019 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s chief elections official is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s ruling preventing the state from immediately counting or certifying results in next week’s referendum on a victims’ rights constitutional amendment. Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar filed an emergency order Thursday arguing the ruling a day earlier by Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler will suppress voter turnout and “foment irreparable uncertainty” among voters. The Supreme Court ordered both sides to file briefs Friday. The filing by the attorney general’s office, which represents Boockvar, criticizes Ceisler’s decision as unprecedented. The amendment would enshrine into the state constitution a set of victims’ rights. Ceisler said the amendment would have immediate, profound and irreversible consequences for the rights of accused and the criminal justice system.
November 1, 2019 2:31 am
As October comes to a close it’s time to start thinking Turkey! Yes, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that means we need your help making sure area families have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. WJPA’s annual 2000 Turkey’s event is already in full swing. Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome says since the 2019 drive began October 3rd they have raised $19,360. He says there are “a whole lot of families that we will provide Thanksgiving dinner to those in need” through the Washington County Food Bank. Laurel Ziemba of Range Resources says “when you prioritize how you feed your family, Thanksgiving dinner is a luxury that a lot of families can’t afford.” She says “that’s where 2000 Turkey’s will be able to supplement their income this holiday season to ensure they have a nice dinner for their family”. If you would like to donate, you can send a check to; 2000 Turkeys P.O. Box 2000 Washington, Pa. 15301.
October 31, 2019 2:49 pm
(AP) – The number of U.S. vaping illnesses has jumped again, reaching more than 1,800 cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that 1,888 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in 49 states. That includes 37 deaths in 24 states. The total is 284 higher than what the government reported last week and a larger increase than seen in several weeks. Officials say the previous slowdown could have been caused by reporting delays. The outbreak appears to have started in March. No single ingredient, electronic cigarette or vaping device has been linked to all the illnesses. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana. Health officials urge people to avoid vaping, particularly products containing THC and purchased off the street.
